States Theatre
3507 S. State Street,
Chicago,
IL
60653
3507 S. State Street,
Chicago,
IL
60653
2 people
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Lou Rugani – thanks so much for posting this. I did not know (among other things) that my “grandpa” Nate had built those other theaters prior to the States. As a kid I visited the theater a lot with my dad. I remember projectionist George McCree. And I smiled at Nate’s quote about “social amenities and life’s niceties,” which was an understatement and a half. (Though Nate’s daily conversations never included language like “social amenities” or “life’s niceties.” A theater very much like the States is the locus of much action in my first novel “To Love Mercy” (though I rename it the “Calumet”). “Mercy,” the first novel of my “Chicago Trilogy,” takes place over 5 ½ days in 1948. While the first publication (2006: Mid Atlantic Highlands) is out of print, “Mercy” is to be republished in 2024 or 2025 by Key Literary – which is publishing the entire Trilogy starting with Book 3, “To Do Justice.” “Justice,” set during the inner-city riots of 1965 and 1966, was published April 9 (Paperback ISBN 979-8-9904409-1-3, ebook ISBN 979-8-9904409-0-6). It’s available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.
INDUSTRY PROFILE - Chicago Showman Nathan Joseph Observes 46th Year in Industry
CHICAGO - In this day and age, when the progress of time brings about vast and decided changes, Nathan Joseph’s long stand at the States Theatre presents an interesting picture. Approaching his 77th birthday, Jos eph goes about his business just as he has all his working life. He spends between seven and nine hours daily seven days a week at his own southside theatre, the States, which is open 12 hours a day. While the States is by no means a first run house and is located in a neighborhood which has long ago seen its best days, this veteran showman knows the magic touch needed to keep the theatre a sound property. Those associated with Joseph are quick to express their admiration for him. His stamina and business ability are a continuous source of amazement. His staff, incidentally, forms quite an important segment in continuous service alone. Walter McCoy, the day man, has been with the States for 42 consecutive years. One of the two projectionists, George McCree, has been with Joseph at the States for 32 years. One of three cashiers has established a record of 21 years, and David Avery, Joseph’s assistant, has been with the States for 16 years. Joseph has been associated with theatres as an owner or on a partnership basis since 1910. In the early days of motion pictures he became an exhibitor as a partner with his father-in-law, the late Frank Salkin. Their first theatre, the Paragon, was a far cry from present day houses: it was a small one-aisle theatre, located at 51st street and Prairie Avenue in a neighborhood which at that time possessed considerable affluence and glamor. In 1912, Joseph built and opened the Lincoln Theatre at 31st and State streets. He has also been associated with the Vendome, Franklin, Speedway, Owl and Panorama. The States and Owl are the only theatres in this group still in existence. While the Allied organization does the buying for the States, and Irwin S. Joseph, a son, is the booker, all booking is done under Nathan’s supervision and with the bulk of the films set at his recommendation. “Due to the drastic changes in population in the area,” said Joseph, “my patrons aren’t exactly the type to concern themselves with proper social amenities and life’s niceties. Hence, operating the States has a problem or two.” He added, however, that despite the odds, he has a minimum of trouble in coping with the disadvantages and he likes his little niche. Nathan actually only recalls one disturbance in 30 years. “I quelled the molester,” he stated, “and can’t say that I’ve encountered any other real trouble.” Besides the States Theatre, Joseph has two other hobbies - his two grandchildren, Frank and Judith Joseph. He and his wife Martha are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. Expressing gratefulness for his good health, Joseph declared that he feels he is only in the middle of his career and that currently he has no thoughts about retiring.
Architect A. Proskauer’s first name was Adolph, according to an item in the January 7, 1922, issue of The Economist.
04/05/63 photo added courtesy of Steven Regulus.
RickB —
That’s my grandpa all right! Can’t thank you enough.
Cheers,
Frank Joseph
Better late than never, the Boxoffice article on the States' owner.
Joe Vogel —
I’d love to read that Boxoffice article from 1956 but the link is dead. Do you have access to a copy pls?
Cheers,
Frank Joseph
130 years old?
I heard that Nathan Joseph is still going strong as he approaches his 131st birthday, with still no plans to retire. I too hope Frank Joseph gets to read that article.
If Frank Joseph is still watching Cinema Treasures, and if he hasn’t already seen the item, he will probably enjoy reading the Boxoffice article about his grandfather in the March 17, 1956, issue. It mentions him.
If BWChicago is still frequenting this page, I have a question: Volume 17 of a trade journal called The Bridgeman’s Magazine lists A. Proskauer (who you identified above as the architect of the States Theatre) as the architect of an unnamed theater then (1917) being built in Terre Haute, Indiana. Do you know if this project was completed and, if it was, do you know which of Terre Haute’s theaters it was?
My grandfather Nathan Joseph owned and operated the States Theatre for most of his adult life. I have many childhood memories of the place, which are incorporated in my novel TO LOVE MERCY (ISBN 0-9744785-3-9, www.tolovemercy.com)) Although I called it the “Calumet” in TO LOVE MERCY, it stands in for the States. The sequel I am writing now, TO WALK HUMBLY, also includes many scenes at the theater. The corner of 35th and State Streets was the heart of the Bronzeville neighborhood, a vibrant 24-hour community that was in effect “Chicago’s Harlem” in the ‘20s, '30s and '40s. In the '50s, urban renewal came in and destroyed this neighborhood and its culture to make way for the notorious Stateway Gardens and Robert Taylor Homes public housing projects. Virtually every building on State Street was knocked down eventually. The States was closed in the mid '50s but the boarded-up building remained standing while everything else on the east side of the street was mowed down. I remember driving by in the early '60s and seeing this single brick structure standing alone on the block. It was eventually torn down too, I think around 1962. Bronzeville lay fallow for four decades. In the last 10-15 years, there has been a move to revive its memory, culture and viability as an urban neighborhood (it’s just 3 ½ miles south of the Loop), and housing prices are booming as the neighborhood yuppiefies and buppiefies. But 80% of the once-fine housing stock has been torn down as well as most of the commercial core. On State Street, where my grandpa’s theater once stood, the only reminder of this bygone era is the Bee Branch of the Chicago Public Library at 3647 S. State Street, housed in the former building of the Chicago Bee, one of Bronzeville’s two newspapers. (The Bee died decades ago; the Defender still is in publication in offices downtown though a shadow of its former self.) A visit to the Bee Branch will be repaid. Over the entrance hangs a delightful oil painting imagining State Street in the '40s, its vibrant bustling heyday.
Frank Joseph
Chevy Chase MD
www.tolovemercy.com/www.frankjoseph.com
Architect was A. Proskauer
This is now a parking lot for the new Chicago Police Headquarters. Prior to that it was a gas station with a McDonalds behind on the Wabash Ave. side.